Nissan 360: the design future, and the new 370Z?

Click the image above for more hi-res shots of the 370Z and Infiniti design teasers.

There were crisp images of a blurry car being swapped and discussed today at Nissan 360. When Shiro Nakamura, the head designer at Nissan, revealed the barest hints of a car outline hidden behind a taut sheet of fabric, speculation began as to whether it represented the new Z. The arced flanges over the wheels, and the way they follow the wheels, have 370Z written all over them. However, it doesn't look as if it would fit this rendering exactly -- which is not a bad thing. All Nakamura would say is that we'll be seeing that wheel later this year, which, coincidentally, is when the next Z -- supposedly lighter and four inches shorter than the current car -- is slated to be unveiled.

The other design teaser was a top-view sculpture of future Infiniti design elements. Who knows what or how much of the elements -- like the ducktail rear -- will make it to the final product, and who knows what those features will look like when in production. But it's a good looking piece of art in its own right. A brace of edges peeking out from a sea of crimson undulations -- if they had thrown wheels on it I would have driven it out of the hotel last night.

slide-400900

slide-400901

slide-400902

slide-400903

slide-400904

slide-400905

slide-400906

Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.